Blue Jays snapshot: Red Sox are AL East favourites, but other teams intrigue

By Israel FehrMar 31, 2017

The American League East may not be the kind of beast it used to be, but it still stands as a very competitive division. The Blue Jays won it in 2015, reached the postseason as a wild-card team last season and feel like a third straight playoff berth is in their future.

But what’s the outlook for the rest of the division? How do Toronto’s rivals stack up? And what are the expectations for the four teams the Jays will be battling with for the AL’s banner?

The favourite: What did the Boston Red Sox do following the retirement of a franchise icon? Trade for one of the best pitchers in baseball and call up the game’s top prospect, of course.

The Red Sox added Chris Sale in an offseason deal with the White Sox and they’ll insert Andrew Benintendi as the team’s starting left fielder. Both moves maintain Boston’s place as the team to beat in the division, despite no longer having David Ortiz around.